ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said in an email to Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs he isn’t against the decimalization of marijuana possession.
An Orlando city proposal would make those caught with less than 20 grams of marijuana receive a $50 and $100 fine for the first and second offenses, respectively, instead of being taken to jail.
Demings said Jacobs might want to bring up a similar plan for discussion with Orange County residents.
Demings said in an email to Jacobs:
"This may be an issue that the Board of County Commission may want to receive public input on concerning unincorporated Orange County. I would not be opposed to similar legislation in unincorporated Orange as long as deputies retain discretion on whether to make custodial arrests with certain factors."
Deputies in the county are already given discretion when it comes to minor marijuana offenses, but Jacobs said she had not yet drawn up plans for a similar ordinance and has not decided if she would attempt to enact a similar one.
"We will be looking at it. We can't decriminalize it. We will look at what the city did and work with the sheriff's office," Jacobs said.
Jacobs said she's asking public safety work group to be established to answer questions she still has, including where city and legal boundaries lie.
The city of Orlando's ordinance is up for its first reading Monday.